Book review: Parable of the Talents
Yesterday I finished reading an awesome book by Octavia Butler "Parable of the Talents". The book is a sequel to "Parable of the Sower", in which the main character, Lauren Olamina -daughter of a baptist minister-, creates her own religion, Earthseed, in the middle of an era of chaos, war, poverty and ignorance. "Parable of the Talents" is a collection of notes, written by Olamina during her life and then kept later by her daughter Larkin, the notes are taken from Lauren's journal and show her perseverance to accomplish Earthseed's Destiny of set root among the stars.
As with "Parable of the Sower" (and from what I've hear all Butler's books), this is a very well written book, and although I don't have much time to give to fiction at the moment, it kept me interested at all times.
The real reason for this note is not actually talking about this particular book, though the subject says so. After I finished with this book yesterday, I was wishing Butler would have had some few more years of life to finish yet a third book on the saga which she was supposedly writing when she died last year. Since the third book never came out, I had to follow my list of science fiction books I have, and next in line was Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, so I started by reading only the introduction he wrote or the edition I have, and is what actually got me to think about my reaction I had with my previous book.
Card, when talking about Ender's Game, talks about some of the things science fiction does. One is the fact that it talks about events, and situations that have yet to happen, but they depict the reality and essence of being human, but the story is not what the author writes, or the character in the book, the real story is that one the reader creates on his own mind by seeing his own self, in his own life, being depicted. Card transcripts a couple letters from people that have read his book, both different interpretation, different approaches to the book, each one of them got touched by the book depending on their own life and situation.
The same thing I had with "Parable of the Talents", I believe the reaction was even bigger and richer than with "Parable of the Sower" when I read it first. Probably what identifies me better with the book is Earthseed, "God is change" is the center of it, the first commandment if you want to compare to Christianity, is kinda a Buddhist principle, very simple concept and yet true. But as probably all religions, how simple, or how true it is isn't important, what matters is the effect it has on society. I've been interested in this since I took a class during my freshman year of college and wrote a final paper about the topic, ever since then I've been interested in the role religions play to people, Olamina talks about that, how people need a purpose but a purpose that focuses a life toward an objective, it gives strength and hope to people.
As everything though, religion is in the hands of men, and will be used to their interests, manipulated, controlled. Throughout the years religions have been used as a tool to control and show power, for example the Spanish colonization of Latin America, was based on religion, the Church had an immense power and through them the empire was kept in control. But religion itself is not bad or good, is people who use them that makes them look as good or bad. Will we ever have a perfect or true religion? perhaps not, but as Knuth also suggests, religions and gods are not proven so the search should continue.
P.S. apologies for the length and randomness in the post.
As with "Parable of the Sower" (and from what I've hear all Butler's books), this is a very well written book, and although I don't have much time to give to fiction at the moment, it kept me interested at all times.
The real reason for this note is not actually talking about this particular book, though the subject says so. After I finished with this book yesterday, I was wishing Butler would have had some few more years of life to finish yet a third book on the saga which she was supposedly writing when she died last year. Since the third book never came out, I had to follow my list of science fiction books I have, and next in line was Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, so I started by reading only the introduction he wrote or the edition I have, and is what actually got me to think about my reaction I had with my previous book.
Card, when talking about Ender's Game, talks about some of the things science fiction does. One is the fact that it talks about events, and situations that have yet to happen, but they depict the reality and essence of being human, but the story is not what the author writes, or the character in the book, the real story is that one the reader creates on his own mind by seeing his own self, in his own life, being depicted. Card transcripts a couple letters from people that have read his book, both different interpretation, different approaches to the book, each one of them got touched by the book depending on their own life and situation.
The same thing I had with "Parable of the Talents", I believe the reaction was even bigger and richer than with "Parable of the Sower" when I read it first. Probably what identifies me better with the book is Earthseed, "God is change" is the center of it, the first commandment if you want to compare to Christianity, is kinda a Buddhist principle, very simple concept and yet true. But as probably all religions, how simple, or how true it is isn't important, what matters is the effect it has on society. I've been interested in this since I took a class during my freshman year of college and wrote a final paper about the topic, ever since then I've been interested in the role religions play to people, Olamina talks about that, how people need a purpose but a purpose that focuses a life toward an objective, it gives strength and hope to people.
As everything though, religion is in the hands of men, and will be used to their interests, manipulated, controlled. Throughout the years religions have been used as a tool to control and show power, for example the Spanish colonization of Latin America, was based on religion, the Church had an immense power and through them the empire was kept in control. But religion itself is not bad or good, is people who use them that makes them look as good or bad. Will we ever have a perfect or true religion? perhaps not, but as Knuth also suggests, religions and gods are not proven so the search should continue.
P.S. apologies for the length and randomness in the post.
posted by Fernando Sanchez at 8:42 AM
1 Comments:
I give you A+ for this book review. As a person who read nothing these days but about war, environment, religion, and IR ethics; I have to agree that your book captures our sad reality.
I have to ask your permission to use couple of your lines in my papers: "As everything though, religion is in the hands of men, and will be used to their interests, manipulated, controlled...religion itself is not bad or good, is people who use them that makes them look as good or bad". Brilliant!
Zina
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